<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-demar-derozan-reveals-okcs-secret-to-success');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan reveals Thunder’s secret to success');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DeMar-DeRozan-reveals-OKCs-secret-to-success.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan reveals Thunder’s secret to success</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-14T12:04:33-07:00">June 14th, 12:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-14T12:05:24-07:00">June 14th, 12:05pm</time><address><a>Dylan Fine</a>Dylan Fine focuses on the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints, in addition to working on the meme team. Dylan is a graduate of Georgetown University and has covered various topics ranging from local politics in the DMV region with DC Voter For Animals to live sporting events in the Long Island and Rochester areas with The Southampton Press and Pickin’Splinters. When he isn't working, he's usually running in preparation for the next annual Turkey Trot.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan revealed what he believes is the key to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s success. On Friday, the Western Conference champions rallied to pick up a critical Game 4 win over the Indiana Pacers. Like Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets in the second round, the Thunder had their backs up against the wall and responded by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-fans-cant-believe-indiana-blew-game-4-nba-finals-thunder">outscoring Indiana 31-17 in the fourth quarter</a>.</p><p>The six-time All-Star, however, pointed to OKC’s culture as the reason this team is two wins away from a title. In particular, DeRozan discussed in a recent interview with Dwyane Wade when he realized that the Thunder <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1933923382619168973" rel="noopener">was composed</a> of a championship-level locker room.</p><p>“What’s great about OKC is the connection that they have. You see it. Every game they win, the whole team is behind whoever’s getting interviewed. That goes a long way. I watch them offensively, defensively, how connected they are, it’s incredible. It all starts from not just on the court, but off the court.</p><p>That little interview? I don’t think people realize how important that is. Everybody be standing there behind no matter who’s getting interviewed the whole year. Everybody’s staying there. And then they walk off together. That shows, to me, everything about them.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-desperation-game-4-win-pacers">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge</a> for the fourth-quarter rally with 15 of his 35 points in the last 12 minutes. In addition, Alex Caruso picked a great game to have one of his best performances of the playoffs with 20 points and five critical steals. Despite going just 3/16 from three-point range, the Thunder stayed in this game with the Pacers and walked down one of the best clutch-time teams in recent playoff history. Now that OKC knows it can win a close game against Indiana, this result should do loads for the team’s confidence.</p><p>The Thunder will return home for Game 5 in front of what will be a rocking Paycom Center. The NBA Finals will ultimately come down to a best-of-three series between two franchises with loads of depth on their roster. Legacies will be decided over the next week, and either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers are going to win their first NBA title. It’s time for OKC’s energetic culture to be put to the ultimate test.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan reveals Thunder’s secret to success

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-demar-derozan-playing-lonzo-ball');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan gets 100% real on playing with Lonzo Ball');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DeMar-DeRozan-1.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan gets 100% real on playing with Lonzo Ball</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-29T17:14:13-07:00">May 29th, 5:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-29T17:14:13-07:00">May 29th, 5:14pm</time><address><a>Jake Faigus</a>Jake Faigus graduated from the University of Arizona in 2022 and has written for several publications and websites. He has had stops at Catena Media, Playmaker, DraftKings, USA Today, Spike Up, and Spotlight Sports Group. He also writes for Sporting News and works at iHeartMedia in Phoenix when he is not writing for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan recently opened up about playing with Lonzo Ball on the Chicago Bulls. DeRozan played with the Bulls for three seasons from 2021 to 2024 and came to Chicago at the same time as Lonzo Ball in 2021. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-lonzo-ball-sheds-light-on-upcoming-return-from-knee-injuries">The issue is that Ball was dealing with injuries</a> during most of his time in Chicago while DeRozan was his teammate.</p><p>To this point, Ball has missed most of his time playing with the Bulls. He played for the first time in October 2024 since 2022. Ball and DeRozan barely played basketball together, but when they did, things came together easily, helping the offense flow much better than it did without him.</p><p>On a recent Run Your Race Podcast episode with Theo Pinson and AJ Richardson, DeRozan <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1928198398911336901" rel="noopener">spoke about</a> what it was like playing with Ball and how easy everything was. He said, “When you talk about a piece missing for something… Lonzo was that big piece of the puzzle that put everything together for all of us. He made everything so easy.”</p><p>Ball’s size is what makes him stand out as a point guard. At 6-foot-7 and 190 pounds, there are not many point guards like him, and that’s why he presents such a matchup issue when he is healthy and able to play. The one season he was able to play with DeRozan on the Bulls, Ball had a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, and he averaged 5.1 assists per game during that season.</p><p>The combination of DeRozan and Ball never got a lot of time together with the Bulls due to his injuries, and before Ball was able to come back from injury, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-land-demar-derozan-in-sign-and-trade-deal">DeRozan was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade</a> that also involved the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal.</p><p>Hearing DeRozan praise playing with Ball and how much he enjoyed it shows that it was a case of what could have been. Ball could have developed into an All-Star-level talent if it weren’t for some of the injuries he has suffered in his career.</p><p>Both players still play well with DeRozan in Sacramento and Ball back in Chicago, but those years with the Bulls will be filled with missed opportunities.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan gets 100% real on playing with Lonzo Ball

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nba-rumors-paul-pierce-urges-nuggets-to-pull-off-demar-derozan-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Paul Pierce urges Nuggets to pull off DeMar DeRozan trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DeMar-DeRozan_987cbe.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Paul Pierce urges Nuggets to pull off DeMar DeRozan trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-27T09:49:53-07:00">May 27th, 9:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-27T09:49:53-07:00">May 27th, 9:49am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Hall of Famer Paul Pierce believes the Denver Nuggets should pursue Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan this offseason, following <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-praises-david-adelman-2025-playoff-run">Denver’s second-round playoff exit to the Oklahoma City Thunder</a>.</p><p>Speaking on the latest episode of KG Certified, a podcast hosted by fellow Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, Pierce laid out his ideal move for the Nuggets, who won the NBA championship in 2023 but have failed to advance past the second round in the two seasons since.</p><p>“For the next five years, if you got the best player, you got to put some pieces,” Pierce <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article307258531.html" rel="noopener">said</a>. “I feel like if they had a DeMar DeRozan with that team right now, with Joker, he don’t need to be the best player or the second-best player every night. He is going to give you more than what Michael Porter Jr. gave you.”</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-david-adelman-head-coach-decision'">Nuggets lost in seven games to the Thunder</a>, marking their second consecutive postseason exit in the conference semifinals. Despite another standout campaign from Nikola Jokic, Denver’s supporting cast struggled to deliver in key moments, with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-offseason-trade-proposal-michael-porter-jr-after-postseason-struggles">Michael Porter Jr.’s inconsistency drawing particular attention</a>.</p><h2><b>Paul Pierce suggests Nuggets trade Michael Porter Jr. for DeMar DeRozan to boost playoff reliability</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DeMar-DeRozan-10-controls-the-ball-as-Denver-Nuggets-forward-Michael-Porter-Jr.-1-guards-in-the-first-quarter-at-Ball-Arena.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Porter Jr., 26, averaged 18.2 points, seven rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game during the regular season while shooting 50.4% from the field and 39.5% from three across 77 games. However, in the 2025 playoffs, his production dipped significantly to 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, shooting just 39.2% from the floor and 34.3% from three in 14 appearances.</p><p>DeRozan, 35, finished his 16th NBA season and first with the Kings averaging 22.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game on 47.7% shooting from the field and 32.8% from three. He played 77 games, logging 35.9 minutes per contest.</p><p>Sacramento missed the postseason after going 40-42 and losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-land-demar-derozan-in-sign-and-trade-deal">Kings acquired DeRozan in a sign-and-trade deal last offseason</a> in hopes of boosting their offense, but the move failed to yield a playoff berth.</p><p>A potential trade between Denver and Sacramento could center on Porter Jr., who remains under contract and provides size and floor spacing. DeRozan, though older, brings a reliable midrange game, veteran leadership, and proven playoff experience — attributes the Nuggets could value as they look to fortify their championship window with Jokic.</p><p>Denver will face a critical offseason, with limited financial flexibility and a need to maximize its current core. As the Western Conference becomes increasingly competitive, Pierce’s suggestion adds fuel to speculation that the Nuggets could shake up their roster in pursuit of another title run.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Paul Pierce urges Nuggets to pull off DeMar DeRozan trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/miami-heat/heat-trade-proposal-demar-derozan-offseason-kings');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat trade proposal for DeMar DeRozan in offseason amid Kings trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/745012523-heat-trade-proposal-for-demar-derozan-in-offseason-amid-kings-trade-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat trade proposal for DeMar DeRozan in offseason amid Kings trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-27T09:41:54-07:00">May 27th, 9:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-27T09:41:54-07:00">May 27th, 9:41am</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings are two teams that seem to be stuck in purgatory. Neither team is good enough to compete for the championship, and it is unlikely that either would even win a playoff series as currently constructed. Neither team is bad enough to select near the top of the NBA Draft, either. Both teams were in the Play-in Tournament this year, and they both need to make a decision on the direction of their franchises.</p><p>The Heat will likely look to build upon what they currently have, while the Kings seem more likely to blow things up. This could actually lead to the two doing business together, as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-rumors-kings-demar-derozan-viewed-miami-offseason-trade-target">Kings could trade DeMar DeRozan to the Heat</a>.</p><h2><b>Heat trade proposal for DeMar DeRozan</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/745012507-demar-derozan-heat.jpg"><figcaption>Ed Ezczepanski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><b>Heat receive:</b> DeMar DeRozan</p><p><b>Kings receive:</b> Terry Rozier, two second-round picks</p><p>ClutchPoints’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/celtics-offseason-trade-intel-after-jayson-tatum-injury-siegels-scoop">Brett Siegel has reported that the Heat have interest in DeRozan</a>. Ever since they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/grade-the-trade-jimmy-butler-to-warriors-in-deal-with-heat">traded away Jimmy Butler</a>, it has been clear that the team has needed another star. While DeRozan is 35 years old and his best days are in the rearview, he still has something left in the tank. He also shouldn’t be too expensive to acquire.</p><p>DeRozan’s contract is actually <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/17844/terry-rozier" rel="noopener">cheaper than</a> Terry Rozier’s (per Spotrac), so the Heat would cut costs and get off of a bad contract in this trade hypothetical. DeRozan is also a massive upgrade over the Miami guard who struggled mightily late last season. The USC product averaged 22.2 points per game last season, which was his 12th straight season averaging 20-plus points per game.</p><p>The mid-range specialist would complement Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro well. Adebayo is a beast in the paint and one of the best passing centers in the NBA. Herro can score from all three levels, but he is especially deadly from deep. While a DeRozan deal might not get the Heat into contention status, there wouldn’t be much harm in trading for him because he is on a fair contract, and the Heat would give up next to nothing in this deal to get him.</p><h2><b>Would the Kings trade away DeMar DeRozan?</b></h2><p>Somehow, the Kings ended up with a roster that looks eerily familiar to the Chicago Bulls teams that never worked out.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-demar-derozan-reacts-reuniting-zach-lavine-bulls-trade"> Zach LaVine and DeRozan only made the playoffs together once</a> in Chicago, but now the Kings are relying on them to lead the way. This duo is flawed, as both players lack on the defensive end and when it comes to playmaking. At least one, if not both, needs to go.</p><p>DeRozan doesn’t hold a lot of trade value, but the Kings would be smart to ship him for draft capital, even if it is just a couple of second-round picks. And while Rozier is regressing in his own right, he at least plays the point guard position. The Kings are desperate for a lead ball handler who can get his teammates involved.</p><p>This would be a necessary step in starting a rebuilding process, and starting over from scratch makes sense for the Kings. The Western Conference is getting better and better, and the team will likely need to reset before they can truly compete with their conference rivals. DeRozan will likely be the first to go, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if LaVine and/or <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/ranking-best-domantas-sabonis-trade-destinations-if-kings-blow-it-up">Domantas Sabonis were traded</a>. Both of those players carry more trade value than DeRozan does.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat trade proposal for DeMar DeRozan in offseason amid Kings trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/miami-heat/heat-rumors-kings-demar-derozan-viewed-miami-offseason-trade-target');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat rumors: Kings’ DeMar DeRozan still viewed as Miami offseason trade target');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DeMar-DeRozan_ba3d83.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Heat rumors: Kings’ DeMar DeRozan still viewed as Miami offseason trade target</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-23T14:10:45-07:00">May 23rd, 2:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-23T14:11:16-07:00">May 23rd, 2:11pm</time><address><a>Jake Faigus</a>Jake Faigus graduated from the University of Arizona in 2022 and has written for several publications and websites. He has had stops at Catena Media, Playmaker, DraftKings, USA Today, Spike Up, and Spotlight Sports Group. He also writes for Sporting News and works at iHeartMedia in Phoenix when he is not writing for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Miami Heat are expected to be active in the offseason and want to continue building their roster around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Pat Riley is always lurking in the background, looking for All-Stars on the market, either in free agency or on the trade block. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-rumors-demar-derozan-trade-buzz-heats-up-lottery">DeMar DeRozan might be the perfect fit</a>.</p><p>The biggest name they could grab is Kevin Durant, but DeRozan might be Miami’s most realistic target, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/celtics-offseason-trade-intel-after-jayson-tatum-injury-siegels-scoop">at least according to ClutchPoints’ own Brett Siegel</a>. DeRozan makes a lot of sense if they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-why-pat-riley-wouldnt-oppose-miami-pursuing-aging-star-amidst-kevin-durant-rumors">miss on Durant</a> or Giannis Antetokounmpo as a much-needed All-Star piece on the roster.</p><p>It seems likely that DeRozan is one of the most notable trade targets this offseason due to the Kings making a three-team trade that sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento, while also sending De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and a first-round pick were sent to the Chicago Bulls. His former Chicago teammate joined DeRozan after <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/demar-derozan-free-agency" rel="noopener">being acquired</a> in a sign-and-trade last summer.</p><p>The Kings are a franchise that feels stuck. They managed to sneak into the play-in tournament with this roster, but they still have some uncertainty because Fox did everything for them but was dissatisfied with the franchise’s direction. DeRozan and LaVine are All-Star-level talents, but they have not proven themselves capable of taking games over and dragging teams to the postseason, which is something Fox did in comparison.</p><p>The question is whether the Kings are going to embark on a full-on rebuild and trade not only DeRozan and LaVine but also Domantas Sabonis.</p><p>Siegel writes that Miami must include Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier, and Andrew Wiggins in a trade. They also have a few picks they could include in a trade. A trade with DeRozan would consist of at least one of those two players.</p><p>The lesson is never to count out Pat Riley when making splashy moves in the offseason. It helps that he runs a Heat organization based in Miami, Florida, but he is a master of pulling off moves to help the team. He was one of the principal architects behind creating the Big Three era, which included signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Even before that, he helped engineer a massive trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal to Miami.</p><p>Pat Riley and the Heat making a move for DeMar DeRozan would be a first step in getting back into contention in the Eastern Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat rumors: Kings’ DeMar DeRozan still viewed as Miami offseason trade target

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-rumors-demar-derozan-trade-buzz-heats-up-lottery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings rumors: DeMar DeRozan trade buzz heats up after lottery');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DeMar-DeRozan.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Kings rumors: DeMar DeRozan trade buzz heats up after lottery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-13T13:49:27-07:00">May 13th, 1:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-13T13:49:27-07:00">May 13th, 1:49pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/2-early-sacramento-kings-nba-trade-targets-2025-offseason">Sacramento Kings didn’t benefit from any lottery luck</a> on Monday night, as they saw their pick go to the Atlanta Hawks after sticking at No. 13 overall, just one spot outside of the protection they had on it. Now, all of the speculation around the league will be on which rookies will be going where and which superstars could be on the move.</p><p>A lot of that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/bucks-news-brian-windhorst-breaks-down-giannis-trade-interest-around-nba">trade talk will surround Giannis Antetokounmpo</a>, especially after the report that he is “open-minded” about potentially playing somewhere other than Milwaukee next season. Kevin Durant is another name that could be on the move at some point as he and the Phoenix Suns head for a split.</p><p>While the Kings don’t have any player quite on that level, they could still make some noise on the trade marker. Star wing DeMar DeRozan <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/scenes-from-a-seismic-night-in-the?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=163479546&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">could be on the move</a> at some point this offseason as new general manager Scott Perry reshapes the roster, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.</p><p>“The focus in the California capital shifts now to what sort of dealing we could see from the Kings’ new regime,” Fischer wrote. “There has been no shortage of rumbles, since the hiring of Scott Perry as general manager, that Sacramento is expected to gauge the trade market for veteran swingman DeMar DeRozan.”</p><p>DeRozan doesn’t exactly fit the Kings’ timeline or their roster at the moment, especially now that he is back with Zach LaVine after that pairing failed in Chicago with the Bulls. If Sacramento is going to pivot to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/kings-news-domantas-sabonis-wants-stay-but-theres-catch">keep Domantas Sabonis happy</a> and try to get back into the playoff picture out West, moving off of DeRozan feels like the easy solution.</p><p>The market for the mid-range maestro remains to be seen. He is an awkward fit with most cores due to his isolation heavy style while operating inside the 3-point line most of the time. He is also aging out of being a plus defender, so it would take a lot of the right pieces around him for a team to contend with him on the roster.</p><p>That will drive down his price, but expect the Kings to still explore what they can potentially get for him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings rumors: DeMar DeRozan trade buzz heats up after lottery

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/ranking-5-best-demar-derozan-trade-destinations-kings-blow-up');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ranking 5 best DeMar DeRozan trade destinations if Kings blow it up');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ranking-X-best-DeMar-DeRozan-trade-destinations-if-Kings-blow-it-up.jpg"></figure><h1>Ranking 5 best DeMar DeRozan trade destinations if Kings blow it up</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-29T06:24:50-07:00">April 29th, 6:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-29T06:24:50-07:00">April 29th, 6:24am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/spencersee10" rel="facebook">Spencer See</a>Spencer See is a part-time writer at ClutchPoints focusing on the NBA, evergreen content and celebrity lifestyle. He is also a lifelong fan of LeBron James. In his free time, he either goes fishing or watches basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Sacramento Kings conceded to the 10th-seeded Dallas Mavericks at the Play-In Tournament. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-anthony-davis-message-kings-fans-play-in-win" rel="noopener">120-106 loss ended the Kings’ playoff campaign</a>, which has been marred by several changes and uncertainty. With Sacramento facing a bleak future, it’s safe to say that DeMar DeRozan could be on the move in a trade after just one full season with the team.</p><p>DeRozan was a bright spot in the Kings’ do-or-die loss, exploding for 33 points to have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-demar-derozan-admission-play-in-loss-mavericks">the most career points in Play-In Tournament history</a>. The Kings don’t look like a playoff contender, and it’s a place that any aging player like DeRozan doesn’t want to play for. Let’s rank the five best DeMar DeRozan trade destinations for this piece if the Kings blow it up.</p><h2><b>1. Indiana Pacers</b></h2><p><b>Pacers receive: DeMar DeRozan, 2025 first-round draft pick</b></p><p><b>Kings receive: Andrew Nembhard and Jarace Walker</b></p><p>This <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/kings/sacramento-kings-news/nba-trade-idea-sends-demar-derozan-to-eastern-conference-rival-01jp92gazy6a" rel="noopener">trade idea was originally put together</a> by Greg Swartz for Bleacher Report. The Indiana Pacers would be the most attractive destination for DeRozan. The six-time NBA All-Star would have no shortage of help in Indiana, as he could possibly team up with the likes of Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner.</p><p>DeRozan’s elite shooting from the midrange gives the Pacers more firepower offensively. In addition to this, he should also ease Haliburton’s duties with the ball, given that DeRozan is capable of creating his own shots. The Pacers are a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference, but they’re still searching for answers to take their game to the next level. An additional All-Star caliber like DeRozan could be the missing piece.</p><p>It’s also worth noting that the Pacers will be busy during the offseason. With two-time NBA blocks leader Myles Turner entering free agency, Indiana will be looking to make some room to retain his services.</p><p>On the other hand, for the Kings, getting a playmaker like Andrew Nembhard helps in balancing their personnel. Furthermore, the addition of 6-foot-7 power forward Jarace Walker makes them younger.</p><h2><b>2. Charlotte Hornets</b></h2><p><b>Hornets receive: DeMar DeRozan</b></p><p><b>Kings receive: Josh Green, Josh Okogie, lottery-protected 2030 first-round pick, and two second-round picks</b></p><p>The Charlotte Hornets have a lot of young pieces at their disposal, headlined by LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Brandon Miller. However, the team has always produced mediocre campaigns, as they have been regarded as cellar dwellers in the past few seasons. Perhaps, an addition of an All-Star veteran like DeRozan could finally unlock their full potential.</p><p>This trade proposal lands DeRozan in Charlotte, without giving up any of their key building blocks. Should he wear the Hornets uniform, you can count on DeRozan to become another scoring threat for the team. He should form a dynamic one-two punch with Ball. Theoretically, their ability to score should keep the Hornets competitive. Furthermore, Charlotte could use some legitimate veteran presence to serve as a mentor for its rising players beaming with potential.</p><p>In return, the Kings can get additional perimeter defenders, who are willing to do the dirty work in Josh Green and Josh Okogie. When called to step up, both Green and Okogie should fit alongside LaVine and Sabonis.</p><h2><b>3. Miami Heat</b></h2><p><b>Heat receive: DeMar DeRozan</b></p><p><b>Kings receive: Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, 2029 first-round draft pick</b></p><p>Last offseason, the Miami Heat were one of the teams racing to acquire the services of DeRozan before his trade to the Sacramento Kings. Now that the Heat don’t have Jimmy Butler anymore and the potential availability of DeRozan in the offseason, mutual interest between these two parties can be reignited.</p><p>Without Butler, the Heat could use an additional shot creator outside of Andrew Wiggins and Terry Rozier. Wiggins has been producing for the Heat since the Butler exchange, but he hasn’t been the most available starter. On the other hand, Rozier is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. As a result, bringing in DeRozan would be a win-win situation, especially with his ability to create shots for himself. He would certainly help fill the void left by Butler.</p><p>For the Kings, Duncan Robinson will be the prize of the deal. His elite catch-and-shoot skillset could come in handy alongside the duo of LaVine and Sabonis. On the other hand, Kevin Love could still serve as a reliable locker room presence, while providing some floor spacing in limited minutes.</p><h2><b>4. Los Angeles Lakers</b></h2><p><b>Lakers receive: DeMar DeRozan</b></p><p><b>Kings receive: Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht, and a protected first-round pick</b></p><p>Another major suitor last offseason for DeRozan was the Los Angeles Lakers. DeRozan is no stranger on expressing his desire to take his talents to Los Angeles. However, despite repeated interest from both sides, a deal simply never materialized. Nonetheless, both DeRozan and the Lakers can finally make it happen in the offseason.</p><p>Although to make it happen, the Purple and Gold would probably need to sacrifice two key rotational pieces to entice the Kings in the form of Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht. Both Hachimura and Knecht have had some bright moments for the Lakers during the 2024-25 season. The former is one of the best outside shooters in the team, while Knecht has provided a solid case to be a part of Los Angeles’ future. Add in a protected first-round pick, and the Purple and Gold could be in line to form another big three.</p><p>While there will be questions surrounding DeRozan’s fit, he would love to play for his hometown. Furthermore, the six-time NBA All-Star is still an offensive force, who’d be interesting to watch play alongside two Hall of Famers. But more importantly, DeRozan would put himself in a strong position to chase a championship. On the Lakers’ end, it’d be another major swing towards maximizing James’ closing window.</p><p>Getting Hachimura, Knecht, and a first-round pick for DeRozan would be a dream acquisition for Sacramento. They’re easily players who can contribute right from the get-go.</p><h2><b>5. Toronto Raptors</b></h2><p><b>Raptors receive: DeMar DeRozan, Devin Carter, and two second-round draft picks</b></p><p><b>Kings receive: RJ Barrett and Ja’Kobe Walter</b></p><p>The Toronto Raptors were responsible for bringing DeRozan into the NBA. They drafted him at the 2009 NBA Draft in the first round with the ninth overall pick. He also spent his first nine seasons with the franchise, while leading them to several competitive playoff appearances. In fact, he has already expressed in the past his desire to retire as a Raptor.</p><p>Given that DeRozan is already 35 years old, he also admitted that time is not on his side at this stage of his career. With the three time All-NBA Team player nearing Father Time, it won’t be surprising if he already starts contemplating about making a move back to Toronto.</p><p>Although unlikely, given that the Raptors don’t look like a legitimate playoff threat, the team might have a promising future ahead. In fact, Toronto is poised to upgrade its roster in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, with a class headlined by blue-chip prospect Cooper Flagg. Furthermore, there’s no better experienced Raptor than DeRozan to serve as a locker room leader to the core that will usher the franchise into the next chapter.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ranking 5 best DeMar DeRozan trade destinations if Kings blow it up

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-demar-derozan-gets-into-physical-altercation-at-restaurant');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings’ DeMar DeRozan gets into physical altercation at restaurant');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DeMar-DeRozan_f81b7a.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Kings’ DeMar DeRozan gets into physical altercation at restaurant</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-19T16:35:25-07:00">April 19th, 4:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-19T16:37:15-07:00">April 19th, 4:37pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Sacramento Kings small forward DeMar DeRozan found himself in a heated, physical moment.</p><p>The 35-year-old NBA All-Star <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/04/19/demar-derozan-fight-sushi-restaurant-los-angeles/?adid=social-tw" rel="noopener">got into a physical altercation inside a restaurant</a>, according to TMZ. The incident took place Friday night inside a sushi restaurant in Calabasas.</p><p>“The fight looks pretty serious … the Sacramento Kings small forward is going after the man, but is held off by another person in a suit,” TMZ revealed Saturday evening.</p><p>The fight sparked over a phone, TMZ learned. Police confirmed to TMZ their arrival to the scene at 10:30 p.m. late Friday.</p><p>“An eyewitness tells TMZ the altercation blew up after the man in the shorts shoved a phone with a bright light in DeMar’s face … which the basketball player then knocked out of his hand,” TMZ reported.</p><p>DeRozan verbally demanded that the phone returned over to him, eyewitness accounts shared to TMZ.</p><h2><b>Is this first altercation involving Kings’ DeMar DeRozan? </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ty-Jerome-dribbles-Cavs-v-Kings.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>DeRozan never faced off the court trouble throughout his NBA career. This encounter is his first such incident as an NBA player.</p><p>It’s unknown if a fan prompted the altercation, or if DeRozan knew him. The fan, though, attempted to get physical with the NBA All-Star. He got described as a man wearing shorts.</p><p>Another eyewitness account told TMZ that the man in shorts sustained injuries. Glass and other cutlery flew off a table after the altercation between DeRozan and the fan.</p><p>DeRozan averaged 22.2 points per game for the Kings this past season. He guided Sacramento to the NBA playoffs as a play-in team. Sacramento finished the regular season with a 40-42 mark — good for ninth in the Western Conference.</p><p>The Kings watched their season end on Wednesday. The Dallas Mavericks trounced DeRozan’s Kings 120-106 inside the Golden 1 Center.</p><p>DeRozan led the way scoring 33 points. He grabbed seven rebounds too while playing 43 minutes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings’ DeMar DeRozan gets into physical altercation at restaurant

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-why-demar-derozan-holds-zero-regrets-joining-sacramento');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why DeMar DeRozan holds zero regrets about joining Kings');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DeMar-DeRozan.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why DeMar DeRozan holds zero regrets about joining Kings</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-17T12:19:45-07:00">April 17th, 12:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-17T12:19:45-07:00">April 17th, 12:19pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/kings-news-sacramento-loses-coach-florida-state-after-play-in-disaster">Sacramento Kings’ season is officially over</a> after losing to the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 in the Play-In Tournament. It’s been a rollercoaster year for the Kings, but they were still able to put themselves in a position to make the playoffs, but failed to do so. Before the season started, they had big expectations, especially after acquiring DeMar DeRozan in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.</p><p>DeRozan has been in the play-in for the past few years, and he hasn’t been able to advance to the playoffs. Even after joining the Kings, the hope was that they would be a top-six seed with the talent they had. When asked if he had any regrets about joining the Kings, DeRozan <a href="https://x.com/James_HamNBA/status/1912928335262585265" rel="noopener">gave an honest answer</a>.</p><p>“I don’t regret anything. I don’t think you can live life with regrets,” DeRozan said via James Ham.</p><p>There were a lot of things that happened this season for the Kings, and it wasn’t all good. First, Mike Brown was surprisingly fired, and Doug Christie filled in as the interim coach. Later on in the season, De’Aaron Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, but the Kings received Zach LaVine in return in hopes of still being competitive.</p><p>They were competitive enough to grab the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, but weren’t able to advance to the next stage of the tournament. After the loss, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/kings-news-scott-perry-former-knicks-gm-after-firing-monte-mcnair">Kings and general manager Monte McNair parted ways</a>. Shortly after, on the same day, they hired Scott Perry as their general manager.</p><p>This offseason will be big for the Kings, as they’ll be looking for a new head coach, and they may be making some changes on the roster as well if Perry has a new vision.</p><p>For DeRozan, it looks like he’s ready to stick with the Kings and continue to make the most of the situation.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why DeMar DeRozan holds zero regrets about joining Kings

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-rumors-fired-gm-didnt-want-to-can-mike-brown-or-acquire-demar-derozan-zach-lavine');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings rumors: Now-fired GM didn’t want to can Mike Brown or acquire DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kings-owner-Vivek-Ranadive-L-and-general-manager-Monte-McNair-R-talk-during-warm-ups.jpg"><figcaption>© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Kings rumors: Now-fired GM didn’t want to can Mike Brown or acquire DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-17T08:21:04-07:00">April 17th, 8:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-17T08:21:04-07:00">April 17th, 8:21am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-monte-mcnair-fired-immediately-after-play-in-loss-mavericks">Sacramento Kings announced the dismissal of general manager Monte McNair</a> following a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-demar-derozan-admission-play-in-loss-mavericks">120-106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Play-In Tournament</a> on Wednesday night. The move comes amid growing internal tension regarding recent personnel decisions and the team’s direction.</p><p>According to a report by Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, McNair did not support firing head coach Mike Brown and had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6286283/2025/04/17/kings-general-manager-monte-mcnair-fired/" rel="noopener">reservations</a> about the franchise’s pursuit of All-Star wings DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.</p><p>“McNair didn’t want to fire Brown, league sources said, and there are internal questions about whether he really wanted to sign DeRozan or trade for LaVine,” the report stated.</p><p>DeRozan was signed last offseason to a three-year, $73.8 million deal in free agency. LaVine was acquired as part of a multi-team trade centered around the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-deaaron-fox-trade-spurs-zach-lavine-kings">Kings’ decision to send De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs</a> prior to this year’s trade deadline.</p><h2><b>Tensions with ownership, loss of power led to Monte McNair’s exit after Play-In loss to Mavericks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Zach-LaVine-8-reacts-after-scoring-a-basket-during-the-second-quarter-against-the-Dallas-Mavericks.jpg"><figcaption>© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The piece also described a growing rift between McNair and the Kings’ ownership group, particularly over the role of interim head coach Doug Christie. Majority owner Vivek Ranadivé is reportedly a strong supporter of Christie, further complicating McNair’s standing within the organization.</p><p>McNair, who joined the Kings in September 2020 after 13 years with the Houston Rockets, oversaw a breakthrough campaign in 2022-23 that ended the Kings’ 17-year playoff drought. That performance earned him NBA Executive of the Year honors. However, the Kings failed to make the playoffs in the two seasons that followed, despite splashy roster moves and the trade of their franchise cornerstone.</p><p>The report added that McNair had gradually lost his “decision-making power” in recent months, a dynamic that contributed to his departure from the franchise. It was described as a mutual parting, though multiple signs point to diminishing authority within Sacramento’s front office structure.</p><h2><b>Kings face pivotal offseason with GM search and coaching decision looming</b></h2><p>With McNair out, the Kings are expected to begin the search for a new general manager who will have input on the team’s next head coach. While no official decision has been made, Christie is reportedly in a strong position to retain the job on a permanent basis.</p><p>“Team sources said Christie is well-positioned to keep the job,” the report noted, though Christie himself acknowledged he has received no formal commitment.</p><p>Christie led Sacramento to a 27-24 record after taking over from Brown midseason. The team ended the year at 40-42, following a 13-18 start that included a five-game losing streak in late December.</p><p>Looking ahead, McNair may not be out of the NBA for long. He has longstanding ties with both the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers, and could be a candidate for front office roles with either organization. McNair previously worked alongside Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and maintains a close relationship with Sixers executive Daryl Morey, under whom he worked in Houston.</p><p>McNair’s departure marks another significant shift for a Kings franchise still searching for long-term stability after decades of front office turnover and playoff frustration.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings rumors: Now-fired GM didn’t want to can Mike Brown or acquire DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-demar-derozan-admission-play-in-loss-mavericks');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan’s tough admission after Play-In loss to Mavericks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kings-star-DeMar-DeRozan.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan’s tough admission after Play-In loss to Mavericks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-17T01:30:42-07:00">April 17th, 1:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-17T11:50:08-07:00">April 17th, 11:50am</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings’ up-and-down 2024-25 season ended on Wednesday night. Despite DeRozan scoring 33 points, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-klay-thompson-viral-scorching-revenge-game-kings">Kings lost to the Mavericks 120-106</a>.</p><p>Despite the loss, DeRozan broke Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young’s Play-In Tournament scoring record, marking himself as the highest-scoring player in tournament history. As he worked to keep the Kings in the game on Wednesday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, DeRozan netted his 139th career Play-In point, surpassing Young’s previous record of 137.</p><p>“It’s probably the most I’ve been through in my 16-year career. The season we had was a lot. It’s too hard to fathom right now,” said the Kings’ <a href="https://x.com/FCartoscelli3/status/1912731727820382561" rel="noopener">star forward after the game</a>.</p><p>The 35-year-old capped his debut season with the Kings, averaging 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. Despite his consistent play, DeRozan emerged as Sacramento’s most dependable player, though the team ultimately failed to support him.</p><p>It’s uncommon for a proven star like DeRozan to choose the Kings, but the 16-year veteran selected Sacramento last offseason, eager to team up with De’Aaron Fox and Mike Brown. Following a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-1-key-reason-why-the-kings-abruptly-fired-mike-brown">coaching change with Brown’s firing</a> and a blockbuster trade that sent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/3-deaaron-fox-bold-predictions-after-bombshell-spurs-trade">Fox to the Spurs</a>, DeRozan ended up alone. The aging star is in an awkward position with the Kings missing the postseason yet again.</p><h2><b>DeMar DeRozan’s disappointment with the Kings missing the Playoffs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DeMar-DeRozan-on-the-floor-for-the-Kings.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Kings are far from being contenders, and the 35-year-old veteran may be ready to pursue a better opportunity this offseason. After the season-ending loss on Wednesday night, DeRozan addressed his disappointment of not making the Playoffs this year.</p><p>“I’m going into my 17th season, that’s the reality of it. For me, you don’t have many opportunities left to give yourself a chance to compete in the playoffs. That’s all you kind of want at this stage of your career. Just get a chance to get in there and see what happens,” DeRozan remarked.</p><p>DeRozan understands that his time in the league is running out, and spending his final years with a struggling Kings team that lacks clear direction is likely not his ideal scenario.</p><p>The Kings star wing also addressed his future with the Kings, acknowledging that he will take time to decide his next move. However, it’s clear that the current situation in Sacramento is unlikely to be his preferred choice moving forward.</p><p>“It’s difficult. I’m not trying to play another five, six years. You’ve only got so many years. That window closes quick When you think about it from that perspective, it’s definitely tough. You don’t get many opportunities and you don’t wanna waste the opportunities that you have left either,” DeRozan continued.</p><p>“You always want a foundation that’s stable and understood going forward,” he added. “I’m pretty sure a lot of decisions have got to be made from top to bottom. The next couple days, the next couple weeks, just process everything that went on. From a personal standpoint, that’s gonna be a priority, and we’ll see what happens from there.”</p><p>An hour after Wednesday’s game, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-monte-mcnair-fired-immediately-after-play-in-loss-mavericks">Kings fired general manager Monte McNair</a>, validating many of DeRozan’s concerns about decisions made at the top. This move is likely to push DeRozan even further away, as Sacramento’s future grows more uncertain.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan’s tough admission after Play-In loss to Mavericks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/nba-news-the-revenge-game-bulls-vs-kings-didnt-belong-to-zach-lavine-demar-derozan');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA news: The revenge game in Bulls vs. Kings didn’t belong to Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NBA-news-The-revenge-game-in-Bulls-vs.-Kings-didnt-belong-to-Zach-LaVine-or-DeMar-DeRozan.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA news: The revenge game in Bulls vs. Kings didn’t belong to Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-21T10:57:39-07:00">March 21st, 10:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-21T10:57:39-07:00">March 21st, 10:57am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-zach-lavine-shares-special-message-with-bulls-after-blockbuster-trade">Chicago Bulls handed the Sacramento Kings a 128-116 loss</a> Thursday night, but the headline didn’t belong to former Bulls stars Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan. Instead, it was Kevin Huerter, now with Chicago, who delivered a statement performance against his former team.</p><p>Traded from Sacramento to Chicago as part of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/zach-lavine-bold-predictions-bombshell-kings-trade">February multi-team deal that sent LaVine to the Kings and De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs</a>, Huerter faced his old team for the first time since the deal. He responded with a season-high 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds, four steals, and a block while shooting 10-of-16 from the field and five-of-nine from three.</p><p>“100% a revenge game, 100% so it felt good – came out here with a dub,” Huerter <a href="https://x.com/MattGeorgeSAC/status/1902950393883107405" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC10 Sports following the win.</p><h2><b>Kevin Huerter finds closure in standout performance against former team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Kevin-Huerter-13-reacts-after-making-a-three-point-shot-during-the-fourth-quarter.jpg"><figcaption>© Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When asked about the chip on his shoulder, he said, “We won’t get into details… just an old team, obviously getting moved mid-season, getting a good opportunity over here and came back and played well in a game that I wanted to play well.”</p><p>Huerter added that the performance offered a sense of closure.</p><p>“Yeah, no, that’ll feel good. I mean, this time will most likely change as all teams do in the NBA year-to-year, coaching staffs will change,” he said. “So, this one being against a team that I just came from and having a game like that definitely feels good. Obviously, it’s fresh on the mind, it happened a month ago so I’ll be excited to continue to come back and play here but I don’t think any of them will feel as sweet as this one did tonight.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kevin Huerter didn’t even try to pretend tonight wasn’t about revenge against the Sacramento Kings. 👇 <a href="https://t.co/uS7tSFjmB7">pic.twitter.com/uS7tSFjmB7</a></p><p>— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattGeorgeSAC/status/1902950393883107405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>While Huerter turned in a standout effort, it was Coby White who led all scorers. The Bulls guard posted 35 points, five assists, and a rebound on the night as Chicago opened its five-game road trip with a statement win.</p><h2><b>Bulls outpace DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine as Kings remain stuck in West playoff logjam</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DeMar-DeRozan-10-talks-with-guard-Zach-LaVine-8-during-a-timeout.jpg"><figcaption>© Erik Williams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>On the Kings’ side, DeRozan led Sacramento with 22 points, five assists, three rebounds, and a steal. LaVine struggled in his first matchup against his former team, finishing with eight points, five assists, a rebound, and a steal while shooting 2-for-9 from the field and 1-for-6 from three-point range.</p><p>Sacramento fell to 35-34 with the loss and continues to fight for playoff positioning in the tightly contested Western Conference. The Kings will remain home for the fifth game of their seven-game homestand when they host the Milwaukee Bucks (39-30) on Saturday night.</p><p>Chicago improved to 30-40 on the season with the win. The Bulls remain in the Play-In Tournament picture in the East and will next face the Los Angeles Lakers (43-26) at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA news: The revenge game in Bulls vs. Kings didn’t belong to Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-demar-derozan-gets-25000-fine-public-officiating-criticism');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings’ DeMar DeRozan gets $25,000 fine for public officiating criticism');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DeMar-DeRozan-gets-25000-fine-for-public-officiating-criticism.jpg"></figure><h1>Kings’ DeMar DeRozan gets $25,000 fine for public officiating criticism</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-07T12:31:13-08:00">March 7th, 12:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-07T12:31:13-08:00">March 7th, 12:31pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There was no doubt that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-demar-derozan-blasts-refs-nuggets-loss">the Sacramento Kings were frustrated</a> after their 116-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets, and DeMar DeRozan let the refs know about it in his postgame comments. Unfortunately, the league was not too fond of DeRozan’s comments and <a href="https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1898063612524032187" rel="noopener">fined him for his criticism</a> of the refs.</p><p>“Sacramento Kings guard-forward DeMar DeRozan has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of the officiating, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, the NBA wrote. “DeRozan made his comments to the media following the Kings’ 116-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets on March 5 at Ball Arena.”</p><p>During the game, the refs called 20 personal fouls on the Kings compared to 14 fouls for the Nuggets. The Nuggets shot 16 more free throws than the Kings, and in the fourth quarter, the Kings committed seven foul calls. After the game, DeRozan <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article301506229.html" rel="noopener">had a mouthful to say</a> about the refs.</p><p>“The refs were terrible; terrible as s**t. It’s as simple as that,” DeRozan said via Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. “There were multiple (calls missed). Check the free-throw difference.</p><p>“There was a bunch of times we got hit, got smacked. It was three, four shots I took, clearly got hit, got smacked. They get the same call on the other end. Throws off our whole rhythm. Gives them momentum at home. Makes it tough on us to execute. It was a game we should have had.”</p><p>The Kings are in the stretch of their season as they’re trying to stay in the Play-In mix. They’re currently ninth in the Western Conference, and it’s going to be a tight race for the Play-In spots. Over the past few weeks, the Kings have been playing good basketball, and next, they have a matchup against an old friend, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/kings-news-deaaron-fox-reveals-mike-brown-ultimatum-that-led-to-trade">De’Aaron Fox, who they traded</a> to the San Antonio Spurs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings’ DeMar DeRozan gets $25,000 fine for public officiating criticism

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-demar-derozan-blasts-refs-nuggets-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings’ DeMar DeRozan blasts ‘terrible as s**t’ refs after heartbreaking loss to Nuggets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Kings-news-DeMar-DeRozan-blasts-terrible-as-st-refs-after-heartbreaking-loss-to-Nuggets.jpg"></figure><h1>Kings’ DeMar DeRozan blasts ‘terrible as s**t’ refs after heartbreaking loss to Nuggets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-06T08:07:13-08:00">March 6th, 8:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-06T09:52:58-08:00">March 6th, 9:52am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings lost 116-110 to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, a loss that stings for a multitude of reasons. Aside from snapping their four-game win streak and the loss impacting their chances of making the playoffs in the Western Conference, the Kings felt like the officials gave them an unfair whistle.</p><p>In this loss, the referees called 20 personal fouls on the Kings compared to 14 fouls for the Nuggets, and Denver shot 16 more free throws than Sacramento. In the final quarter of play, the Kings received seven total foul calls.</p><p>DeRozan took exception to these calls and <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article301506229.html" rel="noopener">did not hold back in his comments</a> to the referees after the game, actions that will likely result in him receiving an envelope from the league office within the next 24 hours.</p><p>“The refs were terrible; terrible as s**t. It’s as simple as that,” DeRozan told reporters after the game, via Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. “There were multiple (calls missed). Check the free-throw difference.</p><p>“There was a bunch of times we got hit, got smacked. It was three, four shots I took, clearly got hit, got smacked. They get the same call on the other end. Throws off our whole rhythm. Gives them momentum at home. Makes it tough on us to execute. It was a game we should have had.”</p><p>The 35-year-old veteran was once again the Kings’ leading scorer with 35 points against the Nuggets, marking the 20th time this season that he led Sacramento in scoring. DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of the Kings’ last three games.</p><p>Sacramento was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-malik-monk-leaves-mavericks-game-with-apparent-injury">without starting guard Malik Monk in this game due to a toe injury</a>. Domantas Sabonis also did not play in this game, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-domantas-sabonis-gets-crucial-update-after-suffering-hamstring-injury">missing his second straight game due to a hamstring injury.</a></p><p>Interim head coach Doug Christie also cited the free-throw discrepancy between the two teams playing a major factor as to how this game ended. But he also made it clear that the Kings became “discombobulated” on offense throughout the fourth quarter. He also pointed to the Nuggets getting a favorable whistle in terms of foul calls.</p><p>“In the second half, four (against) 15,” Christie pointed out. “Free-throw discrepancy … This one’s going to hurt. But this is our league, and we got to deal with it.”</p><h2><b>Doug Christie defends DeMar DeRozan’s officiating comments</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DeMar-DeRozan-10-reacts-after-a-play-during-the-second-quarter.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ahead of the fourth quarter in Denver on Wednesday, the Kings held a 65-55 lead and extended this to as many as 14 points. This would’ve been a huge victory for the Kings considering where they are in the standings and seeking to move out of the play-in tournament region.</p><p>Ultimately, frustrations over foul calls caught up to Sacramento and resulted in unforced mental errors late in the game.</p><p>The Kings’ struggles late in the game were not only due to frustrations mounting over missed shots but because DeRozan and others focused too much on the officials’ calls. Although he stands by his players, specifically DeRozan, Christie acknowledged after the game that his team needs to let him do the talking so they can remain locked in on the game.</p><p>“My job is to deal with the refs, and their job is to hoop,” Christie stated. “And that’s what I expect out of them, and they know this. So when they start talking to the refs and barking at the refs, like, yo, chill that out. We don’t do that. We’re here to hoop. Let me deal with [the refs], and I will state our case and live to fight another day.</p><p>“I want their minds focused on the game plan. For the most part, we did that. There was a little bit where we got discombobulated, but in a high-leverage situation, it’s to be expected.”</p><p>This was a significant loss for the Kings because of what a win would’ve meant. Due to the LA Clippers picking up a much-needed win over the Detroit Pistons, <a href="https://www.nba.com/standings" rel="noopener">Sacramento is alone as the West’s 9-seed</a> with 21 games remaining on their schedule.</p><p>A win would have kept the Kings even with the Clippers for the 8-seed and just one full game back from the Golden State Warriors for the 6-seed in the conference.</p><p>The Kings are now 32-29 following their loss in Denver and will have three huge matchups against the Clippers, New York Knicks, and Golden State Warriors following their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings’ DeMar DeRozan blasts ‘terrible as s**t’ refs after heartbreaking loss to Nuggets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-news-demar-derozan-hof-case-lebron-james-territory');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan boosts HOF case after reaching LeBron James territory');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DeMar-DeRozan-boosts-HOF-case-after-reaching-LeBron-James-territory.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan boosts HOF case after reaching LeBron James territory</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-26T19:51:04-08:00">February 26th, 7:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-26T19:51:04-08:00">February 26th, 7:51pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When it comes to the NBA’s All-Time scoring list, Los Angeles Lakers star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/suns-news-kevin-durant-take-40000-points-lebron-james">LeBron James is the far and away leader with over 40,000 career points</a>. He’s the only NBA player to reach that mark, and is a surefire Hall of Famer when he retires. But there are other prolific scoring threats still currently in the NBA as well. One of those players is Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan who just reached LeBron James territory with his latest career milestone.</p><p>DeMar DeRozan joined LeBron James as being one of only six currently active players in the NBA who have <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1894939775825772905" rel="noopener">reached the 24,000 career points</a> plateau. In addition to James and DeRozan, the other current players who have reached that mark are Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry.</p><p>All of those players mentioned are considered for sure Hall of Famers when they retire, so it stands to reason that DeRozan would have a good case for the Hall of Fame as well.</p><p>DeRozan reached the 24,000 points mark on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz. The game was still in progress as of publication, but the Kings had a sizeable lead and DeRozan had eight points.</p><p>This is DeMar DeRozan’s first season with the Kings after being acquired in the offseason via <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/grading-kings-bulls-spurs-demar-derozan-trade">a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls</a>. He has appeared in 52 games for the Kings, at a little over 35 minutes per game.</p><p>DeRozan has been averaging 22.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 48.9 percent shooting from the field, 35.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 87.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>The six-time All-Star was originally selected by the Toronto Raptors with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The past two seasons, DeRozan has finished in the top three in the Clutch Player of the Year voting. But with the final stretch of the regular season underway, he will attempt to lead the Kings to the postseason.</p><p>The Kings are currently 29-28 and in 10th place in the Western Conference standings. They’re two and a half games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the final spot in the play-in.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
22.1	3.9	3.8	0.4	1.0

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
22.1	3.9	3.8	0.4	1.0

DeMar DeRozan news

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